Evaluating Donte Grantham and Obi Enechionyia in the Gildan Charleston Classic

November 20^th, 2017

Yesterday, I was able to watch Temple play Clemson in the championship game of the Gildan Charleston Classic. I mostly tuned in to see Clemson’s senior forward Donte Grantham and Temple’s senior big man Obi Enechionyia play, and this contest was quite competitive all the way to the end. Temple ended up winning this early season tournament, and several players had solid games here. Here are my thoughts on how Grantham and Enechionyia fared in this match, as well as which of the other players had caught my eye on that day.

Clemson’s 6-8 senior, Donte Grantham is a very athletic point forward that generally played a solid all-around game in his team’s loss to Temple. He’s an unselfish player that can score in a variety of ways, and he is capable of defending multiple positions on the court. Grantham is a smooth scorer that can score effortlessly on drives to the hoop. He can take the ball coast to coast in transition to score on fast breaks, and he can also get buckets on left-handed drives to the rim. Also, he managed to draw a foul upon the opposition after posting up on the block.

Plus, he also can score on energetic, hustle plays, as he was able to throw down a thunderous dunk after being left open underneath the hoop, and Grantham also scored on a put back, but sometimes, he can miss shots wildly around the basket. However, he did not shoot the ball as well from beyond the arc. Grantham did make a three off the catch in the corner on a spot-up situation, but he generally missed long-range jumpers other times. Sometimes, he would rush his shots, but he also struggled more to shoot on the move in this game.

He also showed solid playmaking skills. Grantham is a very unselfish player that will look to facilitate the basketball, and he is a deft ball handler that can lead the break. He will constantly look to find the open man, and he will also kick it out to shooters off the dribble to set up scoring chances for his teammates. However, he did commit a couple of turnovers in this game. One was where he received a bad pass and dove for a loose ball, but then after receiving it, he sent the ball rolling on the ground to be intercepted by a defender. Another time, he committed a charging foul while looking to pass out of a drive.

Also, Grantham rebounded the ball very well. He was especially active at hauling in defensive boards, as he can collect a good number of them for his team. But he did commit a foul on an opponent’s put back attempt once. Plus, he played solid defense. Grantham has good hands, and he is an instinctive, rangy defender that can both make plays on the ball and defend his man. He managed to block a shot early in the game, and he also would heap on loose balls to help his team get steals. In addition, he showed a strong ability to contest shots to force misses, and he can defend both perimeter players off the dribble, as well as big men in the post when he is out on the floor, but sometimes, he may have lapses every once in a while, and one time, he gave up too much space to his man, which led his opponent to score on a three-point basket.

In general, Donte Grantham put forth a solid showing in his team’s loss to Temple in the Gildan Charleston Classic, as he was able to help Clemson in virtually every facet of the game. He has had his ups and downs throughout his collegiate career, but there is no doubt that Grantham is off to a strong start this season as a senior, and if he can keep this up and continue to play well, he could potentially end up being a very good find for an NBA team in the upcoming draft.

Temple’s 6-9 senior, Obi Enechionyia also had a good performance, as he was able to score the basketball in a variety of ways, and he was also able to help his team defeat Clemson. Enechionyia showed off good low post scoring skills. He is an agile, fleet footed big man that can get scores on the block, and on one play, he used a quick spin move and a pump fake to get a bucket around the basket. Also, he can score on high motor plays, as he can get strong scores of offensive rebounds.

Also, Enechionyia also shoots the ball well, especially for a player his size. He can knock down threes on spot-up opportunities, and he can make quick long-range jumpers off the catch. Though he did not excel as a rebounder in this game, Enechionyia was especially active at collecting offensive boards, and he did a good job of helping to provide second chance points for his team.

Plus, he displayed adequate defensive skills. He also is a fairly good athlete that showed the ability to stay in front of quicker players, as he did so once when defending a drive on the break. In addition, he also managed to block a shot due to possessing good length, timing, and instincts to do so. In general, Enechionyia did not look to take over the game, but he played fairly well, as he played within the confines of the team system to showcase his skills, as well as to help them get the win. He’s an interesting prospect that can shoot threes and block shots, and he could be a potential second round pick in 2018.

Other Notes:

Temple’s 6-7 sophomore, Quinton Rose may be an interesting prospect to keep an eye on. He’s an athletic combo guard that has been both a leading scorer and the primary facilitator for his team, and he can help his team in a number of ways. He did struggle with his jump shot, and he had trouble scoring in traffic in this game, but Rose did show the ability to score off the dribble, and he also made a mid-range jumper off of a curl, but Rose showed solid court vision and patience as a distributor, as he was able to set up numerous scores for his teammates.

He handles the ball quite well, as he is like a tall point forward on the floor. But he did have some of his passes picked off, though. Also, Rose rebounded the ball really well, as he was like a ball hawk on the boards, as he managed to out-rebound every other player in this game. He also played very good defense, as he can rip balls away from opponents to get steals, he will play passing lanes, and he will also contest shots to force misses.

Right now, Rose will need to improve his jump shot and ability to make plays consistently on offense, but he could be a good prospect for future drafts, and his skill set could enable him to be a potential first round pick sometime down the road.